Preparations for Trump-Putin Summit Delayed Shortly Following Hungarian Capital Negotiations Announced

Trump and Putin
Trump and Putin previously convened in August in Alaska and the American leader had said further talks would occur in the Hungarian capital

Currently exist "no preparations" for American leader Donald Trump to confer with Russian President Vladimir Putin "in the near term", a administration representative has announced.

Last Thursday Trump stated he and the Russian president would hold talks in Hungary's capital in the coming fortnight to discuss the war in Ukraine.

A initial discussion between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov was due to be held recently - but the White House said the two had had a "constructive" call and that a meeting was not "required".

The White House did not share further information on the reason the negotiations had been put on hold.

Previous Developments

The US president had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit via telephone with Putin, a day before meeting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the White House.

Certain accounts indicated his meeting with Zelensky had been a "contentious discussion", with sources indicating the president had pushed him to give up extensive regions of eastern Ukraine as part of a deal with Moscow.

Yet, on Monday Trump embraced a peace initiative endorsed by Kyiv and European leaders to freeze the conflict on the current front line.

"Freeze the lines the way it is," he stated.

Moscow has repeatedly pushed back against pausing the current line of contact.

Moscow was solely focused on "permanent resolution", Russia's foreign minister said on Tuesday, suggesting that freezing the front line would merely represent a temporary ceasefire.

Political Perspectives

The "root causes" of the hostilities needed to be addressed, the Russian diplomat said, using Russian diplomatic language for a set of comprehensive conditions that include the acknowledgment of complete Moscow control over the Donbas as well as the demilitarisation of the country – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its European partners.

Zelensky commented talks regarding the current lines were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Russia was "employing all tactics" to avoid diplomacy.

He additionally stated the only topic that could cause Russia to "pay attention" was that of the provision of extended-range arms to Ukraine.

Weapons Discussions

The Russian president's spontaneous discussion with the US leader last Thursday occurred before speculation that the US was planning to provide distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could possibly hit Russian territory.

The Ukrainian leader stated it was the weapons consideration that had forced Russia to enter into dialogue. The talk about the missiles had turned out to be a "significant input" in diplomacy", he commented.

Jerry Porter
Jerry Porter

Award-winning photographer and visual storyteller with over a decade of experience capturing landscapes and urban scenes across Europe.